Originally developed in 1994 by Toyota for tracking car parts, QR codes can be scanned by any smart phone or tablet to take the user directly to details of a related special offer or more in-depth news or even a video or photo presentation illustrating more about a certain product or service – and all without having to type in a web address or a long URL.
Now superyacht companies are embracing the new technology to capture and promote brokerage deals and charter opportunities
“QR codes and new technology like mobile augmented reality are essentially bridging the gap between what we see in the real world and the extra stuff we can access in the digital world through our smart phones and tablets,” explains YPI Group Marketing Manager, Mark Duncan. “Mobile phone sales increased by 35% last year, smart phone sales increased by three times that amount. And it’s a trend that’s speeding up as more people of all ages turn to mobile communication for reading emails and getting information quickly.”
Latest statistics show that already 25% of subscribers in the US say they never or rarely use anything else other than their phone to access the web – a figure that increases to 59% in India and a massive 70% in Egypt.
“As part of an overall drive to ensure clients can always have the maximum quality information at their fingertips wherever they may be, we started using the codes last month in our ads, directing clients interested in certain yachts to more information and photos.”
It is an initiative that has taken some planning and resulted in some important improvements to the website.
“We invested some time and money in optimising our website to ensure all smart phones can quickly and properly access the information,” explains YPI Group Web Manager, Olivier Palayan. “Not all our clients rely on mobile technology or know about QR codes yet…but for those that do, we want to make sure we open up immediate mobile access to a whole new world of yacht information and imagery.